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FEBRUARY 19, 1.944
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
THREE
News Review of the Catholic World
Members of Hierarchy
Denounce Soviet Attack
Against the Vatican
(Continued from Page One)
fascist.”
The Most Rev. John T. McNicho-
las, O. P., Archbishop of Cincin
nati, declared^ Catholics will not
be fooled “by any misleading, un
true ou_ clumsy propaganda,” and
that “our President and the Stale
Department and the British Gov
ernment” will not be misled by
“false and selfish leaders.” lie
likened the Izvestia article to the
explosion of a propaganda bomb,
“dropped perhaps to cause contus
ion, to divide those whose growing
unity is disturbing lo ambitious
and dangerous radicals.”
“Pope Pius XII is the most popu
lar figure in Italy, truly loved by
all,” Archbishop MeNichc^as said,
“llis absolute impartiality in deal
ing with all nations and peoples
and his high sense of justice for
every group make him the out
standing and most trusted figure in
the whole world. Many groups of
dangerous radicals want to under
mine the prestige of the Pope and
they hope lo see the enemies of
the Catholic Church placed in
seats of government in Italy,
France, Spain, Portugal, Poland
and other countries.”
“The charge against the Holy
Father, that he was in favor of
fascism or nazism, is utterly false,”
the Most Rev. Edwin V. O'Hara,
Bishop of Kansas City, commented.
“Pius XII in his Encyclical Letter
‘Darkness Over the Earth,’ issued
on October 20, 1939, has the most
complete condemnation of fascism.
Quoting from the Encyclical. ‘Who
ever considers the State to be the
end lo which all is directed, lo
which all must bow. is of necessity
an enemy and an obstacle to all
true and lasting progress among
the nations.’
“This is a direct condemnation
of the fascist State and the policies
of the Holy See have borne out
this attitude. This doctrine of
Christian democracy was espoused
by Leo XIII in his famous Encycli
cal on that subject and is the ex
pression of Catholic teaching on
the matter. The Soviet paper that
made these charges is simply en
gaged in calling names.”
From his sick bed in St. John’s
Hospital, Cleveland, the Most Rev.
Archbishop Joseph W. Solirembs,
Bishop of Cleveland, asserted:
“The statement, on the face of it,
is absolutely absurd The Vatican,
certainly, would never think of ty
ing up with Fascism.”
STORY CALLED ABSURD
The Most Rev. James A. Mc-
Fadden, Bishop of Youngstown,
also termed the Izvestia story “ab
surd” and commented: “The Vati
can has never taken any sides with
Fascism.”
The Most Rev. Ralph L. Hayes,
Rector of the North American Col
lege in Rome, who has been in
Pittsburgh since the war forced
closing of (he college, declared
that “since Soviet Russia is op
posed to God there is no reason
to be surprised to learn that it is
opposed to the Vicar of Christ.”
Bishop Hayes said he saw no need
for further comment on the Izvest
ia statement, but pointed out the
Foreign Policy Association report,
which the Russian newspaper had
cited, has absolved the Pope of
charges that he favored Fascism.
Although members of Congress,
generally, were close-mouthed over
the affair, Representative John W.
McCormack, of Massachusetts, the
House Majority Leader, described
the Russian newspaper charges as
ridiculous and false.
BENEDICTINE GRADUATE
RECEIVES COMMISSION
SAVANNAH, Ga.—Lieut. James
Edgar Murrin, a graduate of the
Benedictine Military School, has
just received the silver wings of
an Army Air Force pilot and a com
mission as a second lieutenant
at Napier Field, Ala., an advanced
pilot school of the Army Air
Forces Training Command. Lieu
tenant Murrin is the son of Mrs.
Loretta H. Murrin and the late
James E. Murrin.
MESSAGES OF CONDOLENCE
over the death of the Most Rev.
James J. Hartley, Bishop of Co
lumbus, were received from Pres
ident Franklin D. Roosevelt, His
Excellency the Most Rev. Amleto
Giovanni Cicognani, Apostolic
Delegate to the United States.
Governor John W. Bricker, of
Ohio, and many others.
THEY FOUND REFUGE IN THE VATICAN
Happy are these British and American soldiers who found refuge in Vatican City following their
escape from nearby prisoner-of-war camps. They are being well taken care of, pending arrangements
for their exchange. Pictures show them (below) at “tea-time" and (above) with Hugh Montgomery
Secretary of the British Legation to the Holy See, his son, and a marshal of the Pontifical Gendarmes!
Sealed is a boy who serves them at their quarters. (N.C.W.C.)
Father Kamler, Formerly of Beaufort, S. C.,
Offers Mass for Marines on Bougainville
(By N. C. W. C. News Serivce)
The following story was writ
ten by Sergeant James E. Hague,
Bridgeport, Conn., a Marine
Corps Combat Correspondent).
BOUGAINVILLE, (delayed) —
Come with us to Mass on Sunday
morning.
We can’t promise you much in
the way of a church and we haven’t
time for a long sermon as war
doesn’t halt for the Sabbath.
What we offer you is the sight
of devoted Catholic men, kneeling
in homage to a God brought closer
to them by their ordeal.
There’s our church across the
road. You can hardly see it in the
jungle, although it’s only a few
yards from the coral drive. The
wide arms of bantan trees spread
their green shelter over the church
tent in God-given camouflage from
the enemies in the sky.
JUNGLE CATHEDRAL
Our church is just a tent, strung
across a few' poles. It doesn’t look
much different from the ordnance
tent a few yards away, does it?
Look again and you’ll see the dif
ference. A cross of twined vines
make it a jungle cathedral. Al
ready—we can’t choose from a con
venient list of Mass hours, if we
go to Mass we go early—the tent
is filled with young Marines kneel
ing in prayer.
They are praying to the Prince
of Peace but the pews at which
they kneel are ammunition cases
taken from a pile in one corner of
our church. These ammunition
cloverleafs are all we have to give
you in the way of a kneeling cush
ion, but they are drier than the
ground.
A long line of men is queued up,
waiting patiently to go to Confes
sion. There is a tactful space be
tween the first man in line and
the spot where another Marine is
asking lorgivoness for his sins
through his chaplain, Lieutenant
Commander A.’.F. Kamler, USNR
(CC), of Beaufort, S. C.
Just as at home, a few Marines
stand a short distance from the
chapel tent, smoking a last cigar
ette before going into Mass.
There, one of them has thrown
away the half-smoked cigarette
and dropped to his knees on the
fringe of the tent. He takes a gold-
crossed rosary from around his
neck. He wears it constantly. He
kisses the crucifix and begins to
tell his beads.
MARKS OF THEIR FAITH
Nearly every one of these Catho
lic Marines has some mark of his
faith on his person. A miraculous
medal, a cross, scapular, a pair of
rosary beads. Most are reading
their before-Mass prayers from
sweat-soiled, rain-crumpled pray
er books.
And now, the last confession is
heard. The “padre” walks over to
the altar. No fine Italian marble,
this altar. Just a few boards across
empty ration boxes. But it isn’t
unadorned. At each end, an empty
shell case serves as the vase for
a few palm fronds.
Humble, you say, but sincere.
Vestment by vestment, the trans
formation from a khaki-clad officer
to a priest of God takes place be
fore your eyes. This tent is scristy,
confessional, and chapel. It is all
we have.
At last, the chasuble is slipped
on and Father Kamler is ready
for the Sacrifice of the Mass. The
men are still praying, their whis
pered prayers hardly audible
beneath the thunder of our artil
lery.
Before Mass starts, Father Kam
ler asks how many are going to
Communion. You see, we have no
gold-encrusted tabernacle in which
to keep the consecrated Hosts,
Father Kamler consecrates enough
at each Mass for the men who are
to reeeive—no more.
You may be sure, though, that
nearly every man here will go to
Communion.
CHAPLAIN KAMLER
Father Kamler turns around and
begins the Mass. His constant
acolyte, Private Harold B. Match,
of McAlester, Okla., gives the re
sponses.
Father Kamler tells us there is
no sermon, but he asks us to bear
in mind that this is the holy season
of Advent, that here we shall have
a Christmas unallqyed by worldly
pleasures, a Christmas truly dedi
cated to the Cliristehild who will
bring “peace on earth to men of
President’s Wife Opposes
‘Equal Rights’ Amendment
(By N. C. W. C. News Service)
WASHINGTON.—Mrs. Franklin
D. Roosevelt has announced her
opposition to the so-called Equal
Rights Amendment, now pending
in Congress, and has suggested a
review of the entire list of dis
criminatory laws involving women
The opposition of Mrs. Roose
velt was revealed at her press-
conference in the White House.
The Amendment has been '"oppos
ed by many prominent women's
organizations throughout the coun
try, including a number of Catho
lic groups.
Mrs. Roosevelt said it “probably
would be very easy at this time lo
correct the laws discriminating
against women.” She added: “Per
haps it might be possible to have
a Federal law wipe out some dis
criminations generally. But I
would not be for a Constitutional
Amendment which would wipe
out the good with the bad in one
sweep.”
Mrs. Roosevelt said she did not
know enough about law to suggest
specifically w hat might be done on
the subject, but declared she be
lieved it should be thoroughly
studied.
“I know’ that some people feel
our laws protecting w'omen have
been helpful to women in indus
trial work. It would be a mistake
to remove such legislation until
W'e are quite sure standards as
good have been established for
both men and women.”
goodwill.”
He tells us again, as he does
nearly every Sunday, that during
an air raid we are to say an act
of Contrition.
“During every raid,” he tells us,
“I give general absolution for you.
So when the alarm goes, say an
Act of Contrition and head for your
foxhole.”
It begins to rain and the men
crowd into the overflowing tent.
And at the end of the Mass.
Father Kamler leads us in prayers
“for those of our comrades who
have died so far in this campaign.”
Now it is finished and we go.
The men stream away, some to
get breakfast and others to the
immediate tasks of war.
I
NUN TELLS OF TORTURE
HUMILIATION AT HANDS
OF JAPANESE CAPTORS
(Special Correspondence, N. C. W.
C. News Service)
JOHANNESBURG,— An almost
unbelievable story of torture and
humiliation at (be hands of the
Japanese, who took her prisoner
in Tokio a week after the attack
on Pearl Harbor, was told to an
American Catholic priest by a
nun whom he visited in the Johan
nesburg Sanitorium, here.
The priest is the Rev. Claude
Collins, C. S. P., one of the Ameri
cans staffing the Paulist Mission
here. The nun, a medical mission
ary Sister, was taken from the Jap
anese ship Tatusu at Laurenco
Marques during an exchange of
internees and sent to South Africa
because she was suffering'from a
stomach ailment w’hieh was diag
nosed as fatal.
The missionary nun, a convert
from Judaism and a British sub
ject, had labored in Tokio since
1924. Her original companions had
died and she was left alone with
native nurses at the time of the
Pearl Harbor attack. A week later
she was taken prisoner.
The first three weeks of her in
carceration, the Sister was detain
ed with the inmates of an insane
asylum under military guard. Her
refusal to deny the Faith or to give
required information brought tor
ture with white hot wires, the strip
ping of her clothing and frequent
beatings. Then the Sister was re
moved to a prison for prostitute
women and was kept there for
eight months until sent from Japan
in an exchange of nationals be
tween Japan and Great Britain.
The nun was included in an ex
change of diplomats.
The Sister, Father Collins learn
ed, contracted beri beri from lack
of food and a serious illness en
sued. Her condition was so grave
when the Japanese ship reached
Laurenco Marques that she was
transferred here.
AUTHORIZED VATICAN CIR-
eles have declared to be entirely
without foundation the report
printed in some newspapers that
“the government of the new Re
public of Philippines has been of
ficially recognized by Vatican City
State” and that “there is reason to
believe the recognition of the new
Republic on the part of the Vati
can will have important repercus
sion without and within the Phil
ippines. In declaring these re
ports to be without foundation,
Vatican authorities point out that
during a war the Holy Sea does
not racognize situations of fact de
termined by the war itself.
GENERAL MARK CLARK, the
American leader in Italy, has
made friends with many Bishops
and other prelates since his men
landed in Sicily, reports the Lon
don Catholic Times. At his re
quest a number of Bishops have
willingly collaborated with the
civil authorities and with Arngot
officials in reorganizing life in the
devastated areas over which the
battle-line has moved. These
Catholic authorities are particu
larly helpful in re-opening schools
and in encouraging the people to
settle down under the new admin
istration. For these and other ser
vices the General has expressed
his sincere gratitude.
A CHARGE that anti-clerical
Italians, flying a tourist plane
carrying “a bomb or bombs cap-
lured from a British dump in
North Africa,'’ were responsible
for the mysterious bombing of the
Vatican last November is made by
a British nev|s review specializing
in confidential information. The
purpose is said to have been to
cause a rupture between the Al
lies and the Vatican, as well as
to “give vent to personal dislike
for the Papacy.”
ABOUT 2,000 JEWS have been
expelled from Rome in the past
few weeks, according to an article
in the London Catholic news
paper, The Tablet, reported to
the Office of War Information in
New York. At the same time,
word was received of a strong
protest against the persecution
of Jews in Nazi-occupied Italy
which was published in Osserva-
tore Romano, Vatican newspaper.
The Annual Convention of the
Catholic Committee of the South
will be held in Memphis, April 25,
26 and 27, with His Excellency tli«
Most Rev. William L. Adrian,
Bishop of Nashville, as its host.